


following the red thread

by ruukutia



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Edeleth Week (Fire Emblem), F/F, Fluff, pre timeskip post timeskip and AUs, probably spoilers for crimson flower too, they're gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-22 18:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20878652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruukutia/pseuds/ruukutia
Summary: it's a thread that always ties them together, somehow. (edeleth week 2019)day 1: snow day/dance (post-war) // day 2: light (post-war) // day 3: crowned (post-war, kids) // day 4: crush (modern au)





	1. snow day/dance

Snowfall.  
It was something that often caused unease among the mercenaries. Aside from the obvious chill, it brought a whole slew of things that could spell disaster for them - slower movement, tracks left behind, fires burning twice as long to fend off the cold. Predators became more desperate. Food became harder to find. Daylight was short and night stretched on.  
So ever since she was young, Byleth believed snow to be a predecessor to danger. And yet…the first time it snowed at the monastery, she'd witnessed her students burst into the yards, eager to embrace the frost. She didn't understand it. Even those that arrived late to class were up early, rolling balls out of snow of all sizes. The professor also didn't understand the silence that fell across the courtyard when an errant snowball made contact with the side of her head, knocking her glasses askew. She'd blinked at Caspar, frozen in place, and heard footsteps approaching from the opposite direction. Byleth glanced over in time to see her house leader stalk up.  
"Good morning, my teacher," Edelgard greeted her, before scooping up a handful of snow and packing it into a ball as she approached Caspar. Byleth watched, blinking, as the young princess hurled the snowball with alarming strength at the boy before disappearing after him around a corner. Several of the other students laughed, running after them (the glint in Hilda's eyes made her feel a pang of concern, however). None of it made sense to her.  
Of course, later on her kids had informed her of normal winter traditions, even encouraging her to take part in some - none of which she did, she always had some form of work to do, much to their disappointment. 

She always feels a pang of regret remembering that. It had been so long ago. Byleth wonders, perhaps, if she could have saved more of her students if she had just spent a little more time with them outside of classes or missions. Walking these halls now, those moments echo in her mind, faces of students she knows she'll never see again flashing through. She shakes her head, cursing the memories the snowfall brings. There's one place she can go that no student had accompanied her to, and she alters her course to the Goddess Tower. 

Trudging through the accumulating snow, Byleth finds herself calming down as she approaches the tower, her footsteps no longer echoing alone in empty halls. She pauses for a few moments, looking out at the blanketed scenery feeling an odd kind of emotion she can't quite pin a name to. Even so, she feels at peace. She is not the professor, she is not a war hero, and she is not a mercenary. She is simply Byleth. The woman takes a deep breath of the chilled air, not yet warmed by the rising dawn, feeling some of the tension leave her. She has a newfound appreciation for the snow, she thinks, in the way that it quiets the world - for so long, the land screamed, war torn and bleeding. Yet now, the war is over, and it seems fitting that the world rests beneath a white blanket before beginning anew. She finds a sudden comfort with the revelation that it is no longer silent when it snows; the gentle beating of her heart reaches her ears in place of the cold silence she knew before. 

But there is only one thing she is more acutely aware of than her heartbeat, and that is the presence of her emperor. Byleth turns to find Edelgard several feet away, carefully picking her way through the snow. The sunrise reflects off the snow in a magical way, painting the empress in a glow of soft color and Byleth feels her gentle heartbeat quickly accelerate. _That_ was still something she had to get used to.  
Edelgard smiles at her beloved teacher, stopping about a foot away. "I thought I might find you here," she says, glancing between Byleth and the approaching morning. "It's a beautiful start to the new world."  
"It is." The mercenary nods, eyes never leaving Edelgard. "But you look troubled. What is on your mind?"  
She sighs, almost laughing. As dense as Byleth could be sometimes, when it came to the weight Edelgard carried there was no chance of her missing it. "I was hoping we would find time to talk before long, so I apologize for how…blunt I am about to be. There is still much to do, and I don't know what the future holds, but…" the younger woman trails off. Byleth tilts her head to the side, encouraging her to continue. "Come what may, will you stay by my side? You chose to protect me at the Holy Tomb. Will you choose me again?"  
Byleth's eyes widen slightly in surprise as Edelgard looks down at the snow, a blush becoming evident on her pale cheeks. "What I'm trying to say is…I need you." 

Her heart is hammering in her ears and it takes a second to process her former student's words. Byleth feels the weight of her father's ring in her pocket. She'd been waiting for the right time; she knew she was clueless when it came to love (and Sothis had _truly_ enjoyed taking advantage of that with "advice") but with Edelgard standing here before her, snowflakes clinging to her hair and eyelashes as a new day broke for the two of them alone, she couldn't think of a better moment.  
"El…" the professor says for the first time, and she beams as she watches her empress react to the name. She takes Edelgard’s hand, turning it palm up, and places the ring in the center. "Please accept this gift." 

It is not at all extravagantly romantic, nor is it rehearsed, but it is all so perfectly _Byleth_ that Edelgard can do nothing except smile with tears pricking her eyes as she accepts the ring and spills her heart to the woman that walked by her side into this new era, who just promised to walk beside her forevermore.  
As their conversation falls into a comfortable silence, Byleth feels an incredible urge to pull the smaller woman against her. Sothis isn’t here anymore to advise her, so she trusts her own instincts and closes the distance between them, taking the empress's hands in her own. She remembers words from long ago. _I cannot keep you to myself, after all,_ a younger princess had told her. The professor smiles as she tugs Edelgard close, hands moving to keep her in a warm embrace.  
"El," she says close to her ear, as soft as the snow that falls around them, "Since you _can_ keep me to yourself now…may I have a dance?" Byleth feels her shiver and she knows it’s not from the cold.  
“P-Professor…”  
She chuckles, nuzzling against Edelgard. “Byleth.”  
“..._Byleth,_” she breathes out, and the former professor feels her shudder again. “Where is this coming from?”  
Byleth pulls back far enough to see her empress’s face, hands resting on her hips. She gives her a lopsided grin. “My heart. The one you gave me a chance to have.”  
Not for the first time, she gets to watch color erupt across Edelgard’s cheeks. She doesn’t think she’ll ever tire of the sight, of the way she’ll immediately try to duck her head and look to the side, and Byleth decides to take advantage of this by leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to the smaller girl’s forehead. “You’re so cute, El.”  
“B-Byleth! I’m…”  
“Adorable.”  
“No, that’s-”  
“Beautiful.”  
Any further protests die on her tongue. Byleth smirks in silent victory, admiring the way Edelgard’s fierce blush looks against their backdrop of a snowy dawn. She tightens an arm around her empress’s waist. “I’ll stop teasing you if you dance with me.”  
The mercenary’s heart hammers in a way it never has before when Edelgard looks up at her with the warmest smile she’s ever seen. There’s a shyness in it and in the way she shifts so Byleth can properly lead her into a dance - one they both would’ve liked to have long ago. So they begin their first dance, alone in each other’s warmth as snow continues to fall.  
“...Pr-...Byleth?” Edelgard breaks the silence and picks her head up from its place against the mercenary’s chest, peeking up at the taller woman.  
“Mm?”  
“...Thank you. For everything. For staying by my side, for coming back to me, for...for this new Fódlan. And then...for choosing me again today,” she says, pressing a soft kiss against Byleth’s jaw, and it’s her turn to shiver.  
“Never was a choice,” she manages, not bothering to try and fight the blush, continuing to sway along to the increasing tempo of her heart. “There was only ever you.”  
Edelgard laughs, ringing out pure and clear in the cold morning air. “Then I suppose it’s a good thing I won’t mind a lifetime of your romantic one-liners.”  
Byleth’s laughter joins hers and she gently touches their foreheads together. “I suppose so.”

As a new beginning rises over Fódlan, the first rays of the sun starting to break through the gray of the sky above, Byleth and Edelgard continue to bask in those splashes of pink and purple, not at all feeling the chill of the snow still flurrying around them. The mercenary holds her empress close, adjusting to this new kind of warmth she feels as Edelgard settles against her heartbeat. She was proud of the warrior her student had become but looking at her now - eyes closed, cheeks dusted pink and sparkling with snowflakes, bathed in the soft light of dawn - she thinks that this is the Edelgard she wants to know more of. A softer woman that could show her emotions without fear; one who could gorge herself on sweets and lounge about her bed with a favorite stuffed bear. It occurs to her that this is the woman she intends to spend the rest of her life with and that this dance was just the first of many firsts.

And so Byleth, the Ashen Demon once renowned for her emotional detachment, begins making plans of all she wants to do for the woman who gave her a heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (shows up 4 days late with a handful of incomplete fics) 
> 
> i haven't written anything like this in an extremely long time but these girls took my by the throat and here i am. the other days are in progress and will be up soon maybe? thank you for reading!


	2. light

It’s a rare thing to wake up before Edelgard. Normally the empress is already awake and poring over some document at her desk (she never actually leaves the room before Byleth wakes), but today she remains curled under their bedsheets, nestled against her fiancée's chest, almost exactly the way she had fallen asleep the night before. The mercenary shifts slightly, trying to get a better look at the other woman's neck, a smirk playing on her lips as she sees the dark blossoms on otherwise pale skin. 

Perhaps she had been too enthusiastic last night.  
Edelgard certainly hadn't complained. 

She trails her gaze along the form of her sleeping partner. Bright rays of morning light shine through their window against Edelgard's back, causing her body to be blanketed in shadow. Byleth brings the arm her partner is laying on up around her back in order to keep her in a close embrace. The light shines against her bare arm, a stark contrast to the effect it's having on her beloved. She remembers, suddenly, all the times that Edelgard would tell her that she was the light that chased her darkness away. 

Byleth never once considered herself a divine light by any means, as much as the Church under Rhea would have liked. Still, she couldn’t deny that her students had gravitated towards her, expressing their fears and insecurities without worry of being judged - not only that, it seems like she had managed to stumble her way through and actually _help_ them. For a long time, she never understood the tightness in her chest after she spoke to one of them, never knew why sometimes she’d stay awake at night thinking of what they discussed, and now with a heart she has names for these things: empathy, sadness, concern, love.  
And it’s true that she loves her former students. She’s realized by now that it’s not quite the same love she feels for Edelgard, but it’s love all the same. So perhaps that light Edelgard talks about is love.

But then _that_ doesn’t make sense to her, because she knows Edelgard loves her too. If it was love that made her light, then shouldn’t she see both of them as such and not just Byleth? She frowns. Emotions and the ideas linked to them are still confusing for her, yet she would not trade it for anything - her world is finally in full color instead of muted, and the excitement she feels every day when she wakes up next to her love is worth all of it.  
And Edelgard is nothing but patient with her, helping her put names to emotions when she struggles. Sometimes she even returns the favor when her empress is troubled and doesn’t realize it. There’s been more than one occasion where the mercenary held her close on their plush bed and listened to her fears or stress, doing her best to ease the anxiety away with soft kisses and gentle touches. 

Which is exactly what she does now as her partner twitches in her sleep and has distress etched into her shadowed face. This, too, is not uncommon. She acts as soon as she hears the soft whine.  
“El,” she says, low and even, squeezing her fiancée just a little bit tighter, running her free hand through Edelgard’s long locks, “You’re okay, El. You’re not alone.”  
She awakens with a sharp breath, taking several more to calm herself as the world comes into focus. Edelgard is greeted with a kiss to her forehead and soft whispered words, but all she sees is her soon-to-be wife, radiant in the morning sun. She feels tears starting to prick her eyes, though whether from the sight of Byleth or her nightmare, she’s not sure. Maybe it’s both.

“I’ve got you, El, you’re safe,” Byleth soothes, shifting the woman in her arms to rest on top of her. She knows hearing her heartbeat usually helps calm Edelgard, and sure enough, she nuzzles in. “Good morning, love.”  
The empress exhales deeply before responding. “Good morning, my angel. I’m sorry if I woke you.”  
“Not at all. I’ve been awake for a little bit,” she says, then adds carefully, “I was trying to do some thinking, actually.”  
This seems to grab her partner’s attention; she tilts her head and looks up at the woman she’s laying on, curiosity laced into her gaze. “What’s on your mind?”  
“You, as always.”  
“_Byleth_, please…”  
The mercenary doesn’t miss the soft blush tinting her lover’s cheeks.  
“I mean it, I was thinking about you. Though not in the ways I usually am,” she teases. “It was more...thinking about how you see us. How you see me.”  
Violet eyes widen ever so slightly. “How I see you…?”  
“Yes. You often say that I’m a light that pulled you from your darkness...but I can’t figure out how,” Byleth says, tilting her head against her pillow. “It’s not love, since we both love each other...I don’t know what makes me so special that you’d say that.”  
Edelgard stares at her future wife, lips somewhat parted, before she gives Byleth a warm smile and props herself up enough so she can cup her cheek. It’s a touch that she immediately leans into.  
“It’s hope, my heart,” Edelgard says. “You brought the light of hope to the darkness of my life and so many others. I would not be who or where I am today if not for you. And there is certainly no one else I would rather be than myself, here in your arms.”  
Byleth considers this. It makes sense to her, aside from one thing. “Mm...I see. Then you should also consider yourself light, since you brought hope to _my_ life. Hope and love and so many other wonderful things, so don’t think you deserve to belong in the dark.”  
And before Edelgard can protest, she flips them on their sides once more, with her own back to the window, leaving her partner bathed in sunlight. She grins, absolutely smitten. “Besides, you look gorgeous in the light.”  
  
A range of emotions flicker across the empress’s face before she settles on a soft laugh and smile. “I cannot bring myself to disagree with you when you’re being so cute, you know.”  
“Ah, should I ask you to stay in bed with me a while longer then?” Byleth teases her once more before she leans in and gives her love a tender kiss, which is returned with just as much affection.  
“...I...we do need to get up _eventually_, my angel.”  
  
The pause before her answer makes Byleth reconsider the joking nature. Her decision takes little more than a moment. She leans in and starts to trail kisses along Edelgard’s jaw, taking the opportunity to move above the smaller woman, propping herself up against the mattress with hands on either side of her lover’s shoulders.  
  
“I want to see you in the light.”

They don’t make it out of their bed until the sun is high in the morning sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my girlfriend suggested "byleth wakes up in the morning and sees a sleepy edelgard in the morning light" for this one because i was stuck on ideas, so this one's for her, except she can't read it yet because she hasn't played crimson flower :')
> 
> if for whatever reason you feel like finding me elsewhere, i'm on twitter under the same name, and i almost exclusively have been posting about these two.  
thanks again for reading!


	3. crowned

As a legendary mercenary and reformer of the world, Byleth was skilled at many things. Swordplay, horse riding, archery - even taking command and leading battalions, she'd done it all with remarkable success. But here and now, she has finally met her match.  
She stares at the pile of flowers before her. She blinks twice at them before glancing down to her helper - who has, conveniently, brought her a frog instead of more flowers. 

"Lei," Byleth starts, gently lowering the hands holding the frog being offered to her, "How will your friend here be helping us?"  
Her five-year-old looks up at her, eyes determined. "He's slimy! We can rub him on the flowers so they stick together!"  
Byleth ducks her head in an attempt to choke back a laugh.  
"R-right. Do you think Mama would want…slimy flowers in her hair, though?"  
A pause. Her daughter's brow furrows and she frowns. "No…Mama said she has to take care of it or I'll learn your bad habits."  
"That's right," Byleth affirms with a sage nod. "Mama might banish me if she ever sees you cut your hair like I do, so listen to her." She ruffles her daughter's hair, almost the color of her own deep ocean hue. The lilac eyes that light up with laughter, however, are entirely from her wife. "Let your friend go, Leilani, and we'll figure out how to make this, okay?" 

The little girl nods and starts towards the nearby riverbank. Byleth takes a moment to look up to the hill behind them and feels a familiar warmth settle in her chest at the sight of her wife. Her beloved El sits on a blanket they had brought with them, legs folded to the side beneath her, and cradles their recently born son. She gives Byleth a loving smile and the former mercenary swears she can feel her heart melt as she returns the gesture with a grin and little wave. She doesn't have words to describe the strength of emotion she experiences when Edelgard checks the bundle in her arms before she gently waves back with their son's tiny arm. The rush of pure emotion is still surprising sometimes, but as the years went on, Byleth had come to realize that she will always feel that strongly about her wife. Not only that, it seemed the rest of Fodlan was realizing that the woman they saw as a cold emperor was perhaps not as inhuman as they thought - her soft moments with Byleth were frequent, and as word got out, people saw the strength of the bond the two shared once they began a tour of the newly united empire. 

That feels like a lifetime away to Byleth. She knows it was only a few short years ago; not even a full decade has passed since Edelgard ascended the throne, but between rebuilding Garreg Mach and settling down with her wife, her life has drastically changed. She is no longer (officially) the emperor's sword, she is just Byleth, wife to the emperor and mother of their two children. It is not a life she thought she would lead, but as she turns back to her daughter - now offering a handful of colorful flowers instead of a frog - she doesn't want to be anywhere else. She has gladly traded armor and blade for this: to sit in the grass on a cool autumn afternoon in a simple tunic and pants, her wife nearby as she watches their daughter explore the new world they built for her generation. 

"Look, Mommy! Mama's favorite, right?" the little girl exclaims, eagerly plopping down next to her mother in the grass.  
Sure enough, her daughter had found several carnations, mixed in among various daisies and clovers. A fond warmth softens Byleth's eyes; she’s _so_ proud of her little girl. "Yes, Lei. Do you remember what they're called?"  
"Umm…"  
"Car…"  
Her eyes light up. "Carnival!"  
"Not quite," Byleth smiles. "Car…na…"

The focus and determination in her child's expression is almost an exact mirror of Edelgard's in her monastery days. She's about to give another hint when her eyes snap up to Byleth, and she knows her daughter has the answer - Edelgard did the same thing back then.

"Carnation!" 

Byleth breaks into an even bigger smile, pride and happiness flooding her heart, and tugs Leilani in for a hug. "That's my sharp little sword. Mama's going to be very happy that you remembered."  
"I bet Mama will be even happier when we finish!" her daughter giggles, clearly enjoying the praise. That particular phrase was one her father used often with her growing up and she knows he would have used it with her daughter, too. Byleth chuckles and kisses her forehead before letting her sit back in the grass. "Let's get started, then."

The former mercenary does, thankfully, have some experience braiding, though she finds that braiding her wife's hair and braiding together flower stems are two entirely different beasts. After much trial and error the duo finally figures out how to successfully weave the stems together, and their end result is four wreaths of flowers, all different sizes. One has significantly more carnations than the others and her daughter picks it up and looks at her mother with a silent question. Byleth nods. "I think Mama will like that one the most."

Her daughter beams at her before taking off in a sprint. "Come on, Mommy!" 

She gathers the remaining wreaths, easily catching up to her daughter on the way, slowing her sprint down with an offer of holding hands. Edelgard looks up at the pair as they approach, love shining bright in her eyes. Byleth gives her a dopey smile in response (because truly, she will never stop being a lovestruck puppy around her wife), then kneels before her, bowing her head as a knight would. She glances at her daughter, gesturing with her head to come follow her example. Leilani scampers over and Byleth shifts so their child is directly in front of the emperor.  
Edelgard smiles, laughing. "What are you two…" she starts, but when her wife looks to her and winks, she trails off and decides to let whatever they have planned play out. 

Byleth leans in and starts whispering in their daughter's ear. She faithfully repeats every word. "My dear Lady El, I have worked…all afternoon with your noble servant to…make you a gift worth…worthy of your grace. May I, Leilani Eisner, be-...bestow upon you this gift?" 

Edelgard is speechless. Her five-year-old looks up at her expectantly and her wife is giving her a sly grin. She knows that her wife is, frankly, kind of a weirdo, and there were more than enough stories people had about her strange behaviors, but deep down…she really did know how to be a proper knight. The woman finds her voice, doing her best to put on a regal tone for her daughter. "Yes, Lady Eisner, you may."

Leilani shoots up, almost knocking into Byleth's jaw on her way. She reels back in time to watch their daughter present the flower crown to her wife, and it's a moment she's glad she didn't miss. The genuine surprise on her face melts away into a bright smile, full of warmth and pride and love, and Byleth moves in briefly to ease their son out of her wife's arms before sitting back and letting their moment continue. Edelgard looks the wreath over, fingers gently brushing against the soft blooms of her favorite flower. 

"I made sure this one had lots of carnations for you, Mama."  
Edelgard's eyes widen, looking up at her daughter. "You did?"  
"Mhmm. I know they're your favorite!"  
"That they are…would you do me the honor of crowning me, Lei?" 

Byleth decides, as she quiets her son's fussing and watches her daughter reach up to place the flower crown on her wife's head that she will do absolutely anything to ensure that her family will remain safe and happy. She's not naive enough to think there won't be hardships in some form or another, so she swears to herself that if she ever needs to become the Ashen Demon again to protect her family, she will. The two were unstoppable on the battlefield but Byleth much prefers seeing Edelgard like this - wearing a sundress in a quiet field, her carnation-crowned hair pulled back in a low ponytail, with her arms wrapped tight around their daughter. When she lets go, Leilani turns to Byleth. "Can I put our crowns on too, Mommy?" 

"Of course," she chuckles softly, handing her wife a smaller crown. "Here, El."  
"Thank you, love." The familiar warmth bubbles in Byleth's chest. Leilani plops a crown on Byleth before she returns to Edelgard, waiting in anticipation that’s well rewarded. "And here you go, sweetheart."

She squeals in delight, laughing as her mother places a crown upon her head. “My little princess,” Edelgard mutters, brushing some of her wild blue hair from her eyes. “You are such a gift to your mother and I.”  
“Ma_maaaa_,” the little girl whines, “You can’t say that anymore!”  
Edelgard is taken aback at the response, and even Byleth is stirred from her thoughts and is focused on their daughter. 

But before either parent can form a response, Leilani continues, “You can’t forget about my little brother!”

Both feel the tension drop immediately and Byleth scoots over, son still in her arms, affectionate grin on her face. “Then it’s a good thing you made him a crown too, hm?”  
“Yes. But I don’t know if it will fit him…”

Edelgard smooths a hand through her daughter’s hair. “We’ll keep it, then, for as long as it lasts,” she says, offering a supportive smile. “And you can even make him a new one when he has his naming ceremony. He’ll be much bigger by then.”  
The child frowns. “When will that be?”  
“Around two moons from now.”  
“But that’s so far away!”  
Her head whips over to Byleth, a quiet plea in her eyes. Byleth simply shrugs. “Mama’s the emperor, not me. She makes the rules.”  
Leilani’s expression deepens into a frown. Edelgard laughs - the similarity to her wife’s pout was uncanny. “Keep practicing until then, Lei. When anyone asks who made it, you can tell everyone you did that for him.”  
“Okay…” she huffs, and as if sensing his older sister’s dejection, their son begins to cry. Byleth does her best to comfort him, gently rocking and bouncing the infant, but he won’t have any of it. 

“He’s probably hungry,” her wife sighs, an apologetic look in her eyes. She knows Byleth is a little sensitive to the idea of being unable to comfort their children. It had been something she’d fixated on during Leilani’s infancy - she’d been a mercenary without a functional heart and no emotions, how could she possibly comfort their child?  
It was something the pair had been working on steadily. They’d discovered that Leilani would calm simply from being held close, while so far their son had seemingly taken a liking to Byleth’s heartbeat. Edelgard couldn’t blame him.

So she leans over, placing a kiss on her wife’s cheek. “I’ll take him, love.”

Byleth gives her temple a quick kiss in response and carefully transfers their son back into her arms. Her heart feels incredibly full as she helps Edelgard with her dress so she can begin to nurse him. Her attention then turns to her daughter, flopped over dramatically on the blanket. She chuckles to herself, pushing herself off the blanket to stand. 

“Come on, kiddo. I have a surprise for you.”  
“...Huh?” The five-year-old’s head picks up immediately. 

Byleth reaches into the pack she’d brought with them, producing two wrapped bundles. Leilani sits up, completely focused on them. Her mother gestures with a nod to follow her as she steps off the blanket, stopping a few feet away. She scrambles after her, eyes eagerly flicking between the bundles and her mother. 

“Here. I know you’ve wanted this for a while.”

She kneels down so she’s eye level with her daughter and offers the smaller package to her. Leilani takes it, gingerly peeling back the cloth wrapped around it. She gasps, eyes wide as she pulls back the last layer. 

Finally revealed in her hands is a wooden sword - perfectly carved and polished in a rich cherry wood. She runs her fingers along the blade, taking in the feel of every wood grain. Swallowing hard, she gently picks it up out of the cloth (and Byleth is beaming the entire time, not that she notices) and turns it over in her hands, examining every detail. It’s heavy, more than she would have expected, and she holds it against her chest as she meets her mother’s warm eyes.

“Is this...really for me?” she whispers, afraid if she speaks too loud the dream will shatter. But her mother nods, smile never leaving her face.  
“Yes. My father made one for me when I was your age, and his father made one for him, and so on. When you’re older I’ll show you how to make one too,” Byleth says, giving her daughter’s hair another gentle ruffle before standing. “But it’s no good just to _have_ it. You need to learn how to use it.”  
Byleth can feel the excitement radiating off of her daughter. She grins, dropping the cloth from the second bundle, revealing a matching sword of her own size. “Allow me to demonstrate.”

Her wife snorts and bursts into laughter. Byleth chooses to ignore it. She knows she’ll be teased about it regardless. 

Their training lasts a little more than an hour, during which Edelgard is more than happy to finish nursing their son and get him back to sleep. Her two wild family members approach as she finishes packing away the last of what they’d brought. Leilani is visibly exhausted - Byleth had always been a hands-on teacher, and even their daughter was no exception (though the child _had_ gotten a solid thwack on her mother’s ribs when said woman was momentarily distracted by the sight of her wife and son illuminated by the start of a setting sun). But Byleth is a woman of mercy, and she carries her daughter on her hip as she dozes against her mother’s shoulder, sword still in hand. 

Edelgard greets them with an expression of happiness and contentment. 

“Looks like that went well,” she says, moving to place a kiss on her daughter’s head first and then a tender kiss against her wife’s lips.  
“Mm,” Byleth hums wordlessly against her.  
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this tired before,” her wife comments after they break apart.  
The former mercenary smirks. “Works in our favor, I think.”  
Edelgard playfully rolls her eyes. “Honestly, was that really your endgame this whole time?”  
Byleth just winks at her in response, causing the emperor to shake her head.  
“_Insatiable._”  
“You never complain, El. Quite the opposite, actually.”  
“Byleth!”  
Her heart soars as her wife blushes fiercely - something Byleth is quite proud of being able to do still, six years and two kids into their marriage. She laughs, dipping in to give her love another kiss. “Let’s get them to bed before we decide what to do with our evening.”

Edelgard shifts their son to one arm in order to pick up the pack laying in the grass until Byleth stops her. She kisses the back of the outstretched hand before reaching down and shouldering the bag herself. Carefully, she rouses their daughter enough to offer her a spot on her shoulders, which she sleepily accepts. Leilani, almost immediately, falls back into her slumber. Her mother, not wanting to get whacked again, tries to take the sword from her but to no avail. The child grumbles as her brow wrinkles and this is a fight Byleth knows she won’t win. She pulls the pack’s remaining strap over her other arm and turns to her wife. 

“I like that crown on you a hell of a lot more, you know,” she says as they begin the short walk back to the palace.  
Edelgard hums. “It’s a lot lighter than my normal one.”  
“It will be a good one to pass on to Leilani one day.”  
Byleth keeps a steady grip on her daughter’s leg and wraps her other arm around her wife’s shoulders, who happily leans in against her.  
“A happy life is all I want to pass on to our children,” Edelgard softly says after a few moments. “I did not think I would be afraid of anything more than rebuilding a world from the ground up, but…”  
Byleth squeezes her shoulders. “The reforms have been going well. Those that dwell in the dark are all but gone and hold no sway. They _will_ have a good life, and it’s thanks to you.”  
“To _us,_” her wife corrects, though it is not admonishing. “We are partners through everything, after all.”  
“Yes,” she says, laughing softly. “That we are. And we have earned everything we will give to our children together. So there’s no need to be afraid.”  
She feels her wife relax against her. “...Thank you, my love.”

Byleth says nothing more as she gives her wife another reassuring squeeze. Edelgard melts into the touch, feeling the familiar warmth and safety spread through her with her family’s proximity. She thinks on her wife’s words - as much as she would love to wear this wreath of idle times and innocence every day, the empire still needs her heavy crown. She knows Byleth will always be there for her to share that weight when it becomes too much for her to bear, and she will look to their daughter and son to remind her of why they must carry on. Edelgard never wants them to know what holding their heads up under the wrought weight is like; how crushing it can be. 

So to ensure that they may only know their wreathes of soft leaves and colorful blossoms, she accepts the crown of horns, looking forward to the day she can join her children in flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really just want them to be happy and i have a lot of feelings about it
> 
> thank you for the kudos and for reading!


	4. crush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> formal disclaimer that i am not a dm and am, in fact, my dm's worst nightmare 90% of the time instead.

“Dad?”

Jeralt looks up from behind the counter. It’s early afternoon on a Wednesday, so he hadn’t been expecting any customers, much less a visit from his own daughter. She looks...apprehensive. Something’s wrong.

“Didn’t think I’d see you until tonight, kiddo,” he says, setting down his paintbrush. “What’s up?”

Byleth shuffles further into the familiar building. She’d spent much of her childhood growing up in her father’s game store - he’d taught her how to use the register, how to set up displays, and of course, how to play a bunch of different games. Her favorites ended up being anything involving strategy, and while she grew from a quiet child into a quiet woman, Jeralt was always happy to see her stop by and look at whatever new campaign or miniatures he got in.

“I can’t stay long, but...I need help,” she replies, softer than usual.

Her father leans back and crosses his arms. Something is _very_ wrong. “With what?”

“It’s...um,” she mumbles, and Jeralt has to squint, because...that can’t be a blush on his daughter’s face, right? “It’s a girl, Dad.”

He blinks. "A girl?"

"Yeah, I…like her. A lot."

Jeralt feels like someone just knocked him in the gut. In all her years of growing up, Byleth had never once mentioned or displayed having feelings for _anyone_, much to his surprise (and relief). College had evidently changed his little girl.

“Oh boy,” he mutters, taking a deep breath. “Alright. Tell me about her.”

“Well…” He sees the ghost of a smile appear, even though her eyes are cast downward. “She’s smart. She’s an art major, but we’re in the same writing class. We got paired for a project at the start of the semester. And we’ve hung out a lot because of that. Usually her friends are with us. I guess they’re my friends now too.”

Her father nods, encouraging her to continue. She’d mentioned a few names here and there over meals. Four months at school and his daughter went from expressionless to...this. As much as his protective side was starting to rear up, he’s happy that she seems to finally be coming out of her shell.

“We, um...we were all talking about weekend plans, and I said that I was going to stop by your store. She asked what kind of store it was. And after I explained, she…” Byleth’s gaze flickers up to him. “She asked if she could come too.”

“Are you asking me for permission to bring her in here?” he asks, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

“No, I just...I don’t know what to do. With her. I can show her around, but that’s not…” she trails off and looks back down at some imaginary scuff on the floor, seemingly unsure of how to continue.

“...You want to spend time with her,” Jeralt offers, more a statement than a question. His daughter nods. “Does she play anything?”

“I don’t know,” she replies with a defeated exhale. “As soon as she asked I felt all weird and hot. So I said she could come and then I couldn’t focus on anything else.”

Her father scratches the back of his neck. She’s clearly got it bad for whoever this girl is. He sighs. “Jeez, kid.”

He takes a moment to consider his options, then gets up from the stool behind the glass counter and makes his way around the front. In a few short, heavy steps, he’s standing in front of his daughter and puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. “How about this...I can run a one-off game for you. Something real simple. If she likes it, great; if not, we’ll try something else.”

Byleth gives a soft gasp and looks up at him. She’s not bright-eyed and beaming by any stretch of the imagination, but there’s a flicker of the feeling there. It’s enough for him.

“Okay...yeah. I think I have some dice that will suit her, too. This will work,” she says, nodding slowly. He can see the gears in her head turning. “Thanks Dad. Sorry for the trouble. I’ll see you tonight.”

Jeralt nods and give her a short wave, running his other hand through his close-cropped hair. He hadn’t been prepared for something like this in the slightest. And yet, while small, the smile he sees grace his daughter’s lips as she turns to leave the store is worth it.

* * *

The girl that walks in with his daughter is nothing like he imagined. He thought maybe she'd be similar to his quiet, dark-hue-favoring daughter, but that couldn't be further from the truth. While Byleth has the wild blue of an ocean wave, this girl has straight white hair. She's shorter than his daughter by a good four inches, making it easy for Jeralt to see when she was watching her guest with the eyes of a lovesick puppy. The last thing, he notes, is their incredible difference in dress. Byleth, being Byleth, rarely went for anything beyond jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie. Cold weather saw her layering up with a well-loved black leather jacket on top, but beyond that her fashion sense was about as abysmal as her father's.  
This girl, however, is more aware of that world: solid black tights, heeled ankle boots, and a button up tucked into high waisted shorts; a long trench coat is layered over all this to ward off the winter chill. She clearly knows how to dress and carry herself, and he finds himself impressed that his daughter managed to get out a sentence coherent enough to invite her.

Jeralt watches his daughter take this newcomer through the front of the store, pointing things out and, evidently, making some jokes as the other girl softly laughs into her hand. There's a glow around Byleth's person that he doesn't think he's ever seen before and he is _very_ curious to see how this girl makes that possible, or if she's even aware she's doing it. Eventually, though, Byleth brings her to the counter.

"...And this is my father, Jeralt."

The shorter girl gives him a practiced smile. "It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Eisner. Byleth has spoken a lot about you and this store."

"Likewise. I've been looking forward to meeting the person that seems to have given my daughter the ability to say more than a few words," he says, chuckling. There's a momentary pause and he watches both of the girls' faces get a tint of pink.  
… Now _that_ was interesting.

"But you know, for all she's talked about you, she never told me your name."

Byleth is visibly red behind her.

"Oh, my apologies. Edelgard von Hresvelg."

"Edelgard. Right, good to know. So what brings you here?"

"Your daughter, mostly," she laughs. Jeralt raises an eyebrow at her. She realizes almost immediately what she said. "That is, she offered to show me around."

He's not entirely sure how his daughter is still standing, but there she is, clinging to the strap of the backpack slung across her shoulder for dear life. She takes a slow breath. "Actually Edelgard…I was wondering if you wanted to maybe try playing something. Dad offered to DM if you want to. I have extra dice you can use too."

The other girl turns to look at Byleth. "Really?" she asks, and there's a hint of childlike excitement in her voice that Jeralt recognizes right away.

"Yeah, 5e is pretty easy to get into. Dungeons and Dragons, I mean," she clarifies, cautiously meeting Edelgard's eyes. "I can help you roll a character and get started."

The warmth in the smile Edelgard gives reaches her eyes. "I would like that a lot, Byleth."

His daughter’s posture straightens up ever so slightly, and her lips turn into a small, lopsided grin. He can hardly believe what he's seeing.

"Alright, let's go grab a table," she says, and leads Edelgard away to the back of the store. Jeralt blinks after them, processing what he had just witnessed. He shakes his head. “Goddess help this girl,” he mutters, following after them with his handbook.

* * *

It takes the better part of an hour, but the pair rolls their characters - and Jeralt is once again surprised by Edelgard. She chooses to play a barbarian. The girl is certainly is not what she appears and he can’t tell if he approves of that or not. Byleth's choice is a fighter - Jeralt takes some mercy on them by supplying each of them with a healing potion in their starting gear. With all of them set up, he begins their game.

“Alright. The year is 1138, and you two are among a caravan travelling to the country of Lessau. It’s a small country, bordered between a wild ocean to the north, a calm sea to the south, woodlands to the east, and large hills to the west,” he says, and the two are focused on him as he sets the scene. “The country mainly lives off trade, relying on fishing and wood production. The landscape is beautiful; rare aquatic wildlife, a variety of wood types, and open green hills are a small portion of the appeal Lessau has to offer, which is why the country is admired among foreigners.”

Jeralt pauses for a moment and rolls several dice. He smiles; the result is enough to trigger an encounter. It’s not anything extreme, but it’s enough to give Edelgard a taste of combat. “The people are welcoming to foreigners since they bring in trade and wealth. However, the moving of money and goods attracts bandits. Which brings us to…”

Leaning over, he sets a simple gridded map on the table. He didn’t bother to get actual miniatures for this game, instead setting down cardboard punch-outs for the encounter, and places Byleth and Edelgard’s tokens down several squares away from the bandits. Satisfied with his layout, Jeralt says with a grin, “Four bandits approach, flanking you on all sides. You two appear to be the only ones equipped for combat. Roll for initiative.”

The dice clatter on the table and he watches with pride as his daughter points out which numbers are added to her companion. “Sixteen,” she says, and when he looks at Byleth, she sighs and drops the d20 in her dice bag. “Eight for me.”

Edelgard tilts her head. “Don’t you need that?”

“The d20? Nah, it’s cursed,” Byleth says, pulling another die out from the bag. “I have plenty to use anyway.”

The white-haired girl giggles into her hand while a blush settles back in place on Byleth’s cheeks. “What am I supposed to do if these dice are cursed? I don’t suppose you have another entire set, do you?”

“No, I do,” she says, shooting Edelgard a quizzical look. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Oh, is it normal to have more than one or two?” Jeralt picks up the genuine curiosity in her voice.

Byleth nods. “Lots of people do. Some buy sets for specific characters. Others just like the different colors. But I don’t think those are cursed, I haven’t used them before.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be their first user.”

There’s another small smile. Byleth’s gaze lands on the dice and she idly picks up the d8, rolling it between her fingers. The base resin is clear, but there’s swirls of bright yellow mixed in among light orange and hints of deep red. Each die looks as if a fire is burning within. “It’s okay. They suit you, I think.”

It’s Edelgard’s turn to deal with the crimson on her cheeks. Jeralt clears his throat. Both women look back at him. “Initiative order puts Edelgard first.”

“Okay...okay, what do I do first?” she asks, though it’s directed towards Byleth and not the DM.

“Here, these are your weapon stats, and these are your abilities,” she responds. She points to one ability. “In a big group fight, you usually want to start with this. Just say you’d like to use it, since it’s your bonus action for the turn.”

“Thank you,” Edelgard says, giving her a quick smile before reading over the pages in front of her. “So then...I would like to rage.”

A soft snort escapes from Jeralt as he watches his daughter’s eyes light up. She’d always enjoyed playing a barbarian, or some variation of it.

“Alright then, mark that off on your sheet. So now you can move and attack.”

She turns her attention back to the map in front of her. “I’m going to move here and attack this bandit.”  
He nods. “Roll for an attack.”

Once again, Edelgard turns to Byleth for assistance. She explains the mechanics of attack rolls, shows her what numbers to add where, and waits expectantly for her companion’s first roll.

Which, of course, is a natural twenty.

Jeralt feels a warmth spread in his chest as he watches a huge (by her standards) grin spread across Byleth’s face. She quickly explains what the twenty means for her roll, and Edelgard seems to be getting almost as excited as his daughter.

“So now you roll for damage,” she says, “and since you’re using a greataxe, it’s a d12. That’s this one.”

Edelgard rolls again. It comes up as a ten; Jeralt chuckles. “That bandit doesn’t even know what hit him. He was there ready to fight one second and the next he’s dead. So now we have the bandits’ turn. Seeing that you cut down their ally so easily, they’re going to move in here.”

He shifts the pieces on the board, all of them converging around Edelgard. “These two are close enough to attack you. So that’s...a 12 and 17 to hit.”

After a few moments of guidance from Byleth and some wariness in her voice, she says, “The first misses and the second hits.”

The DM hums in acknowledgement and rolls his own dice. “The first bandit takes a swing and misses, but as you dodge that, the other one makes a quick strike and hits you for six points of slashing damage, halved to three because of your rage.”

She nods, marking off the appropriate status on her character sheet. Byleth is already moving her character token forward. “I’m going to go here, between her and the bandits.”

“The third one will get an attack of opportunity on you as you go by.”

“That’s fine,” she responds. But luck isn’t on her side and she loses a few hit points. Luck _continues_ to not be on her side as she manages to hit for three points of damage on one of the bandits, leaving her surrounded with Edelgard’s character behind her.

When it comes to Edelgard’s turn again, however, she once again rolls a natural twenty, and Byleth appears to be feeling some things. “Holy **shit**, I need you to stay with me,” she mutters. Jeralt stares at her. She clearly didn’t hear what had just come out of her own mouth. Edelgard appears to have, since her face flames once more.

Byleth’s brain catches up to her mouth a moment later.

“That’s...I mean, I need...you’re good luck,” she manages to weakly sputter out, looking away while rivaling her friend’s flushed complexion.

Her damage roll happens in silence aside from the clatter of the die. Jeralt takes the token away. “That’s two down. This bandit is going to move to you, Edelgard-”

“I’m going to use my reaction and take an attack of opportunity,” Byleth interjects. She’s still pink but her focus is back.

“Go ahead and roll,” her father says. She does hit, but once again her damage falls short of ideal. She curses under her breath. “Fuck shortsword damage.”

“_Byleth,_” her father growls. “Not in front of your guest.”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry,” she mumbles, slouching over, folding her arms on the table and resting her head on them.

Jeralt shakes his head, continuing. The bandit misses again and the other successfully hits Byleth. His eyes narrow slightly at her - she almost never plays this recklessly. Yet here she is, throwing her character between the threat and Edelgard’s character. He sends another silent prayer up to the Goddess for her sake.

Her turn sees the end of another bandit. Edelgard damages the last one but doesn’t quite finish him off, leaving Byleth to take another five points of damage. She groans. Burying her face back in her arms, she gives a muffled, “I’m unconscious.”

Her father sighs. Edelgard looks confused, so he takes a few minutes and explains the rule to her. “Which means now on her turn, she has to roll a death saving throw.”

Byleth feels for her d20 and rolls without looking. She succeeds on the first one. Edelgard gives her companion’s shoulder a gentle shake, rousing her from her sulking. “What should I do on my turn?”

She looks at the map; there’s only one bandit left and he’s barely hanging on. “You can just finish him off,” she says.

“But what about you?” Jeralt cracks a smile at how concerned she sounds.

“You can get me up with a healing potion afterwards.”

Edelgard looks to the DM, who confirms with a nod. “Out of combat you can do pretty much anything. No turn order there.”  
“Alright,” she says, “I’m going to attack him.”

Edelgard finishes the last bandit off. After Jeralt explains healing potion mechanics to her, she says, “I’ll go over to her and prop her head up against my leg or something and give her the potion.”

Byleth reddens again and her father simply quirks a brow but says nothing more. The rest of the session goes by without much more of an issue, and Edelgard seems to deflate when Jeralt says it’s a good place to end.

“I don’t know if this is too forward of me to ask, but would it be okay if we continued another time?” she asks, looking between the father and daughter. They glance at each other. There’s not much Jeralt can do against the pleading puppy eyes Byleth hits him with.

He laughs. “If you enjoyed it that much, sure. You’re a quick study, Edelgard.”

“It wouldn’t have been possible without you or Byleth, Mr. Eisner. You’re both quite skilled when it comes to this. I’d love to hear about your previous games one day, too.”

Byleth scratches at the back of her neck. “I could tell you some stories, if you want. Maybe…” she swallows, daring to make eye contact with the shorter woman. “Maybe over dinner tonight?”

Jeralt stares at his daughter as if she were possessed. And maybe she is, but perhaps not by a demon. Edelgard, for her part, looks thrilled.

“That sounds lovely,” she replies, smiling as she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear.

Byleth straightens up again, grinning. “I know a good place up the road,” she says, slinging her backpack on once more. “It shouldn’t be too busy yet.”

“Then lead the way.” She follows Byleth, stopping only to bow her head slightly to Jeralt. “And thank you again.”

His daughter turns too, giving him a smile. “Yeah, thanks Dad. We’ll see you next week?”

“Next week it is,” he replies, a half-smile of his own showing. “Have a good time at dinner, kids.”

He watches the two head towards the door.

“And don’t you let her pay for it, Byleth!” he calls after them, and he laughs when he hears a faint _ohmygoddess_ as his daughter picks up her speed away from the store.

New as it may be, Jeralt finds himself thinking that he’s satisfied with this arrangement.

* * *

The pair continue their campaign weekly, though after two or three weeks several of their friends join in and Jeralt ends up looking forward to his weekly DM sessions. They are, somehow, more of a disaster than his daughter is in certain regards, and they always manage to make the game interesting (Caspar accidentally making Hubert fall unconscious is one of his favorite moments; Dorothea intentionally stabbing Ferdinand with a dagger is another).

About a month and a half into their campaign, Byleth all but bursts into the store one afternoon, nearly startling her father off his chair, but it’s for a good reason.

“We’re officially dating,” she tells him, practically bouncing. He’s never seen her so excited before and he pulls her into a big bear hug.

He ruffles her hair as he pulls away. “Congrats, kid. You’re going to do well with her.”

* * *

Their games continue well into the next few years; even as they begin to graduate and go their separate ways, they still try to make their weekly game. Byleth and Edelgard remain constants, with Byleth sharing ownership of the store with her father and Edelgard landing successful work as an illustrator for a series of monster manuals and campaigns.

And their longtime DM couldn’t be happier that a shared hobby could bring them together in such a way. It’s a sentiment that continues when Byleth proposes with a d20-shaped ring box in hand. Naturally, the pair plan their wedding around the fact that their friends will all be present and that it means they can get a game in the night before together as they did in their college days (Dorothea stabs Ferdinand again, for old time’s sake).

Jeralt will never tire of the smiles and happiness Edelgard has brought his daughter.  
He makes sure to tell his daughter-in-law this as much as possible.

“It’s all because she introduced me to the game to begin with,” she always replies, and they always laugh and reminisce about the past together.

So when one day his granddaughter comes barreling into the store - flushed and nervous, stumbling over her words because she’s discovered she has a crush on someone - Byleth gives her father a warm, knowing smile, and Jeralt knows exactly what to suggest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was supposed to be a shorter one since i'm packing to move in with my girlfriend this weekend, but d&d sure is something huh? all of this except the natural 20s were rolled with actual (extremely cursed) dice!
> 
> girlfriend is also the one that dressed edelgard, because if given the option i would leave my house every day in pajama pants. 
> 
> thank you for all the kind comments too!


End file.
